A court in military-ruled Niger on Tuesday jailed a lawyer for two years for writing on social media that the army was divided into two factions, one of his lawyers told AFP.
The west African country has been ruled by General Abdourahamane Tiani since a July 2023 coup that overthrew elected president Mohamed Bazoum, who has been detained ever since.
Abourahamane Lirwana, a lawyer and civil society member, had been placed in custody at a Niamey prison last month, accused of "disseminating information likely to disturb public order" following one of his posts on Facebook, according to people close to him.
On September 12, Lirwana wrote on Facebook: "Our army is split into two camps, one supporting (Mahamadou) Issoufou and the other supporting Bazoum."
Issoufou was president of Niger from 2011 to 2021. He and Bazoum, his successor as head of state, were allies before becoming bitter rivals.
The post by Lirwana came just weeks after the military authorities in the Sahel country, with the help of Russian mercenaries, thwarted an army mutiny after intense fighting in the capital.
Disgruntled soldiers had attacked several sensitive sites in Niamey and hunkered down in a key military base at the airport.
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